Come for the Game, Stay for the Community: Building and Sustaining Lasting Engagement Online

OMGPOP is one of the most successful online game portals, bridging the gap between classic gamers and non-gamers, action players and casual, flirty friends. But turning short-interval play into long-term engagement isn’t a given, even for a brilliant team of game-loving developers. Find out how OMGPOP used the lessons of community and gamification to build an enduring community, break records for engagement and time-on-site, and still keep the fun, light and social atmosphere so crucial to their audience. The lessons – and data-rich analysis – are sure to make a difference in your community development.

Dan Porter – OMGPOP

DAN PORTER is CEO of OMGPOP, the best a place to hang out, play free online multiplayer games, chat and make friends. The Company started in 2006 as iminlikewithyou, a place for people to play games to meet each other and in 2009 changed its name to the shorter OMGPOP where people meet each other to play games. OMGPOP will be bigger than unicorns and wrestling combined. Previously he was SVP of Corporate Development for Virgin USA. He is in charge of starting new companies in North America for Virgin with a special focus on media, music and digital media. He has led investments and realizations in a number of Virgin businesses. Prior to Virgin USA, Porter was VP, Business Development, for BeMusic (part of DirectGroup Bertelsmann) which comprised the world’s largest music club, The BMG Music Service, and one of the leading US online music retailers, CDnow. Previously, Porter was the President of Speedle, a venture funded company focusing on universal authentication technology. Prior to that, he was the President and COO of Ticketweb. Porter led the sale of TicketWeb to Ticketmaster. Porter has also been an investment banker focusing on M&A and private placements; President of Teach for America, a national non-profit organization that recruits teachers for urban and rural public schools; and a high school teacher in the New York City public schools in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Porter began his career working in A&R for RCA Records. He graduated cum laude with a B.A. from Princeton University and holds a Masters Degree with high honors in Latin American Studies from New York University. Follow Dan on Twitter @tfadp